The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for quickly and easily mounting various rim accessories on a vehicle, the vehicle having rims with fasteners for fastening to a wheel hub on a drive wheel or on wheels intended for a trailer.
There are nowadays many different ways of fastening wheel caps to rims for vehicles, such as trucks and buses, having exposed fasteners for fastening rims.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,750, for example, shows a fastening in which a wheel cap is fastened directly or indirectly to a rim at least together with an annular disc having openings for the wheel nuts. The wheel cap is here screwed securely into said disc. A disadvantage with this design is that the wheel cap cannot be removed without tools, and that it only provides a limited protection against external influences.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,440 shows a fastening in which a clamping ring is fitted to existing holes in the rim, it in turn being possible to screw the wheel cap securely to the clamping ring. This solution also requires tools for removing the wheel cap. Furthermore, it does not afford any protection against external influences.
The problems with these known fastenings are that the mounted accessories cannot be removed quickly, since they require tools for detachment, and that they are intended for rims having exposed fasteners on an axially outer part of the rim. Only with difficulty can such fastenings be adapted to rims having fasteners on an axially inner part of the rim for fastening various accessories thereto. Examples of such rims are truck rims, especially rims for drive wheels or for a trailer. The problems described above are resolved by an arrangement and a bracket according to the invention.
It is desirable to provide an arrangement for quick and easy mounting of various rim accessories on a vehicle.
According to an aspect of the invention, a method for mounting rim accessories on a vehicle, the vehicle having rims with fasteners for fastening the rim to a wheel hub, is provided. The method comprises mounting of a bracket, the bracket having a first contact surface along its outer periphery for resting against an interacting contact surface on the inner periphery of the rim, the radially inner contact surface lying substantially parallel to and adjoining an axially outer edge of the rim, and mounting of an accessory on the bracket, the bracket having at least a second contact surface extending radially inwards along the inner periphery of the rim for interaction with at least two fasteners on said accessory.
The initial mounting of the bracket involves placing a circular unit adjoining the axially outer periphery of the rim. The bracket may preferably be constructed from a pair of semicircular sections, but may also comprise a single section or be assembled from three or four sections. According to one embodiment such an assembled bracket may comprise a number of identical sections. The bracket is mounted by placing said unit so that it rests against the inner periphery of the rim, at least one pair of paired adjoining end surfaces of the sections being forced apart by a suitable clamping element.
By pressing at least one pair of end surfaces apart in a tangential direction, a section or sections of the bracket will be expanded radially outwards until they come into contact with and are clamped securely against the inner periphery of the rim. Clamping is preferably undertaken against a slot or a radial edge on the inner periphery of the rim, for example at the so-called rim horn, said edge or slot preventing the bracket from being able to move in an axial direction relative to the rim after mounting. The contact surface of the bracket at its outer periphery preferably has a shape or a cross section matched to the contact surface of the rim. Fastening adjacent to the rim horn has the advantage that this surface is standardized on largely all types of rims. The bracket can thereby be provided with a fixed position that does not need to be subsequently adjusted.
Accessories such as a wheel cap or a protective cover can be mounted in that a number of fasteners on said accessory interact with a corresponding number of openings in the second contact surface of the bracket. When mounting a wheel cap the inner side of the wheel cap facing the rim interacts with the second contact surface of the bracket. The wheel cap fasteners interact with at least two openings in the second contact surface of the bracket remote from the hub, which openings may be arranged on an inner periphery of the second contact surface of the bracket. Alternatively, the fasteners interact with at least two openings that consist of through-holes in the second contact surface of the bracket. Any number of openings or holes may be selected from two upwards, and where appropriate are distributed evenly between the constituent section of the bracket. For example, the bracket may comprise two semicircular sections having five openings in each section, the bracket being capable of interacting with five fasteners on a wheel cap. The openings may consist of circular holes, semicircular, partially circular or elliptical openings, and combinations of these. In order to facilitate mounting of the wheel cap the number of openings may suitably exceed the number of fasteners on the wheel cap. For this purpose the wheel cap may also be provided with a number of guides for interaction with corresponding, further openings in the inner periphery of the bracket. The spacing both between openings (and/or holes) and fasteners should suitably be identical along the periphery of the bracket and the wheel cap respectively.
A protective cover can also be mounted in that a number of fasteners on said protective cover interact with at least two openings in the bracket. According to this embodiment the protective cover may rest against a side of the second contact surface facing the hub. The openings, as stated above, may be arranged on an inner periphery of the second contact surface of the bracket or of through-holes in the second contact surface of the bracket. The same openings or holes can therefore be used for fastening different types of accessories. A protective cover of this type is preferably mounted in order to protect the wheel hub, wheel bolts or exposed parts of the brake caliper and the like from external influences.
Fastening can be achieved, for example, by a sprung unit, such as a coil spring or spring clip placed between two end surfaces in a bracket formed by a divided circular section or between one or more pairs of end surfaces of two or more sections. If the bracket is made in one piece, one or more sprung units can be integrated into a circular section forming the bracket. By compressing at least one such sprung unit the bracket can be snapped into place on the rim. Alternatively, one or more pairs of end surfaces may be provided with an expandable unit in the form, for example, of a threaded bolt. The bolt may be located in an end surface, for interaction with a guide in the form of an opening in an opposing end surface. After placing the bracket in the rim the bolt in contact with said opening is tightened, which means that the end surfaces are forced apart, clamping the bracket fast. If the bracket comprises two identical sections, both sections are suitably each provided with their own bolt and opening. A bracket comprising multiple sections may also be provided with an expandable unit, such as a bolt, and with hinges between the other end surfaces, so that the bracket can be clamped fast in one single operation.
An aspect of the invention also relates to an arrangement for mounting rim accessories on a vehicle, the arrangement comprising a rim mounted on a wheel hub with a number of fasteners, a bracket and an accessory. The bracket preferably comprises a first contact surface along its outer periphery, for resting against an interacting contact surface on the inner periphery of the rim, and at least a second contact surface extending radially inwards along the inner periphery of the rim for interaction with at least two fasteners on the wheel cap.
The bracket may comprise a divided circular section, or at least two semicircular sections, which form a circular unit. In this case the circular section or semicircular sections of the bracket comprise at least one pair of paired adjoining end surfaces provided with means for forcing at least one pair of end surfaces apart, as described above.
A wheel cap or a protective cover is provided with a number of fasteners on its axially inner or outer side, the fasteners interacting with openings or holes in the second contact surface extending radially inwards in the bracket. In this case the fasteners of the wheel cap or protective cover interact with at least two openings in the second contact surface of the bracket, as described above. The fasteners suitably comprise snap couplings, such as clips or similar arrangements that permit rapid detachment of the wheel cap.